Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering Gods grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:9-10

Monday, March 3, 2008

Unraveling

So many things in life can make us unravel. Sickness, death, financial concerns, stresses too many to list. This past weekend was an example of unraveling. My FIL is in the hospital for a rare infection that no one knows how he contracted. It took them several days to isolate but they finally have and now they are treating it with more specific antibiotics. He's on the mend but he'll only heal to the point he was at before he was admitted, which is to say, still not that great. He lives at a nursing home because he has diabetes and neglected to take care of himself. He's pretty much wheelchair bound. So this hospital stay (the most recent in a long line of stays) is giving him a chance to further unravel the family. He's become a master at playing his wife and kids. To my lovely MIL he's a complete monster - yelling at her and berating her for the littlest of infractions. (Fortunately, she doesn't hesitate to tell him to stuff it *smirk*). With my SIL's he's caring and considerate and with my husband, he turns on the doom and gloom. "I'm dying." "I'm never leaving the hospital." To which I say, "blah, blah, blah." Now that may seem insensitive on my part and maybe it is. I just hate the way he manages to get his way no matter what. My husband, my wonderful kind sensitive husband, gets the brunt of this torturous manipulations and, quite frankly, it pisses me off. The most recent comment was when we visited him yesterday with LD. Because LD was overwhelmed with the weekend traveling he was on the grouchy side. Not to mention we were in a hospital - which could turn the stomach of the strongest person. It was late and my FIL had his back to the door. So when LD let out a screech and screamed, my FIL says to hubby, "he hates me...my grandson hates me." I almost lost it. The problem is that LD doesn't really know him. He needs to warm up to my FIL every time he visits. So to see this strange man not wearing his normal clothes, with tubes and wires hanging off him is just a tad bit intimidating. Ok, end of vent. To my FIL's credit, I can see why he's so morose. He is sick and tired of being sick and tired. My problem is that it's his own fault and could have been entirely preventable. If he wasn't such a stubborn selfish person.

***SPOILER FOR HEIDI - DO NOT READ - BIRTHDAY STUFF!!*** On a happier note, I'm about 99% done with the latest bag. It's such a lovely shade of aquagreen. I have the perfect button for it and I'm so excited to be able to give it to my best girlfriend for her birthday! I agonized over which bag to give her, the Noro or this one. The Noro was more expensive and was thusly the most logical choice for a gift. I have to admit it didn't turn out nearly as well as I had hoped. It looks twisted for some reason. And the embellishments I used were terrible so I ripped them out. It definately needs something but I don't know what. In any case, I am dissatisfied with it so made this one last minute. Her gift needs to be perfect for her and this one I'm am (so far) very pleased with. I'm hoping to finish the buttonhole flap and felt it tonight. ***END OF SPOILER***

My next project is my first sweater. I'm going to knit a cropped long sleeve hoodie for my 19 yr old niece. I have the yarn and all the materials and I'm really anxious to get started! After that will be a felted tote using this absolutely luscious Lambs Pride Worsted wool I got on sale at my LYS. It is a beautiful cranberry color and was part of a dye lot that didn't meet Brown Sheeps specs. Fine by me! Also, I'm waiting for another pattern to crop up on the dishcloth KAL that appeals to me.

On the job front, whew! There's so much drama going on. I hesitate about telling specific stories because I want to protect their names so I'll do my best to keep it short. A is dating B, B is in love with A, A is on the rebound. A has a life threatening illness. A finds out it spread and has been given a "timeframe." A can't deal with illness and B so breaks off with B. Understandable. B doesn't get it and pressures A to get back together. A says no. B carves a phrase into his arm and freaks out A. A's situation is tragic. A is a great person and has had a rough patch for the last few years. A is not getting a break it seems. That's only one of the stories I've seen. It just happens to be the most tragic. Most of the time, the drama is amusing! I don't have much time left so I'll leave some of the other stories for later!

My SIL and niece are coming over for dinner tonight and we're expecting them any time now. So I'll sign off and do the quick once over!